OLYMPIA – A capital budget proposal released Wednesday by the Washington state Senate provides funding for critical projects in the 35th Legislative District, said state Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch.
The projects include $3 million for a new dormitory to house 50 students at the Washington Youth Academy in Bremerton, $400,000 for renovation of the Shelton Senior Center, $1.5 million for sewer rehabilitation in the city of Shelton and $1.5 million for wastewater relief in the community of Belfair.
The local projects are part of a $3.9 billion two-year capital spending plan that will be financed in large part by bonds. Washington uses debt to finance construction, maintenance and acquisition of durable assets. The capital budget is separate from the state’s $34 billion operating budget, which is paid for by current tax revenues. A vote on the Senate capital plan is expected this week; the House passed a somewhat different proposal April 2.
Sheldon said the Senate plan will help defray the high cost of sewer and wastewater projects in Shelton and Belfair, and offer relief to the citizens of those communities. “The advocacy of Shelton mayor Gary Cronce for utility relief for his constituents was instrumental,” he said. Sheldon, who helped win a $15 million capital appropriation for the Belfair project in 2005, said high water tables make sanitary sewers in that area a statewide concern. “This is very important to the health of Hood Canal and the surrounding community,” he said. “If you dig down a foot in Belfair you’ll hit water.”
Other projects funded by the Senate capital budget include $5.5 million for electrical and roof repairs at the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton, and $4.6 million to shift trout hatchery production from the Clarks Creek Hatchery in Puyallup to the Eells Springs Hatchery in Shelton. The budget also provides $1 million to help purchase 58 acres for Coulter Creek Park at the head of North Bay in Mason County, leveraging a $1 million local matching grant.
Key features of the Senate proposal include a six-year program to build more than 2,100 classrooms statewide, and an emphasis on the development of parks and trails, 80 in all. The Senate plan fully funds local public works projects authorized by the state Public Works Board and previous legislatures, and makes $37 million available for new projects.
